Hello From Hell
by JB-Forever
Summary: Uncle Vernon has decided to make Harry's miserable life a bit more miserable. After Cedric's death, Harry wasn't sure it could get much worse. He was wrong. How long will it take Sirius to make someone believe something isn't right and rescue him? *Warnings: Mild child abuse and slightly OC and sarcastic Harry*
1. Chapter 1

**Well, it's summer, and I've been doing a lot of writing. This is going to be a short Harry Potter story. I've never really given a go at writing ****Harry Potter fanfiction, but I'm fully aware my Harry is a bit different from the original. I absolutely love Sirius Black and I just wanted to write something in which he was still alive. The accuracy of this story might not make much sense sometimes, but it's fanfiction and I shall do as I please with my imagination :)**

**Do people still read Harry Potter fanfiction? I'm not sure. But if you're here, enjoy :)**

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**Warning: This story contains some abuse via Vernon Dursley. Do not read if you are sensitive to it.  
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"_Kill the spare." _

"_NO!" _

_Harry could do nothing but watch as his friend was killed in front of him. Cedric's eyes were wide open as he fell to the ground and Harry couldn't tear his own gaze away. He waited for Cedric to blink...to breathe...to spring up and yell "just kidding!"...to do anything...but he never did. _

_The pain in Harry's scar brought him back to reality, or wherever was closest to it, and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out. Cedric was dead. Nothing mattered anymore. He couldn't save him. Cedric was dead and he was going to die next. _

"Harry!"

A whispered voice in his ear sent a shock through his heart, making him gasp. His eyes shot open and the familiar darkness of his room at Privet Drive greeted him. The fact that someone had whispered to him, however, was _not _part of that familiarity. He sat up and looked around, but without his glasses, it was impossible to see anything.

"Are you all right?"

"Sirius?" Harry asked in confusion, recognizing his voice. A small light emerged from the end of something, which Harry realized with stupidity to be Sirius's wand. He felt his glasses being pushed into his hand and he slid them on his face quickly, finally able to see the outline of his godfather.

"What're you doing here?" Harry asked. "Did Dumbledore…"

"No," Sirius said. "I just had a feeling. I can't stay long. I only wanted to check on you. Are you all right?"

"What constitutes as 'all right'?" Harry asked bitterly, rubbing his forehead.

"Is your scar hurting?" Sirius asked with concern. Harry shook his head, faintly wishing it was just so he could have some kind of excuse as to why he was feeling so miserable.

"Wouldn't that be nice, though?"

Even in the dark, Harry could see Sirius giving him a look. "Are you delirious?"

Harry scowled. He needed to watch what he said when he upset. "No, Sirius. I was only joking."

"You've got an odd sense of humor, Harry."

"Hmm," Harry said with a shrug. "Why're you here? Did you come to take me away from here?"

Sirius sighed and pulled Harry's hand gently away from his forehead, pushing aside some of his hair. "I wish I could. I can only stay for a moment."

"Why?"

"I'm not allowed to be here. You know that," Sirius said. Harry sighed deeply and nodded.

"I was just hoping that part would be forgotten."

"I'm working on it, Harry. I promise. I'll try to get you out of here as soon as I can."

"I know."

"Are you sure you're all right?" Sirius asked again.

"I'm all right," Harry assured him, wishing he knew how to lie better. The only thing he knew well was how to change the subject, which he put into action to cover his lie. "How long can you stay?"

Sirius looked behind him for a moment. "I should be leaving now. Remus is expecting me back."

Harry looked away. Sirius might as well have been a dream, if he wasn't already. He couldn't save Harry yet, just like Harry couldn't save Cedric. Was it the same thing? To Harry, it sure felt that way. He felt disappointment wash over him in cold waves.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius said gently.

"I know," Harry said. "I'm glad you came."

"Are you?" Sirius asked with surprise. Harry laughed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Of course," Harry said. "Though I wish you would have warned me, so I could- you know-tidy up."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at Harry's sarcasm and moved his wand around the room. "The lack of…well, _anything _in this room makes it hard to be messy."

Harry smiled. "Makes it easy on my part, huh?"

"Lucky for you," Sirius said, ruffling his hair. "I have to go. I'll write you tomorrow, all right?"

"You can take Hedwig with you," Harry offered. "She's dying to get out and fly around."

"Fantastic," Sirius said. He went over to Hedwig's cage and opened it. "Stay out of trouble, Harry. Keep your nose clean."

With that, the light from Sirius's wand went out and Harry saw the door open and close. _What kind of goodbye was that? _Harry wondered. He opened the curtains and looked out the window to watch Sirius sneak out the front door before a loud "pop" filled the air and the man standing there was replaced with a dog. Hedwig soared off into the sky. Harry imagined Sirius sneaking down the stairs of the house in true creeper fashion. Why hadn't he just Apparated? Or taken a portkey? And whatever happened to that cake Ron was supposed to send him? Harry wasn't sure he would ever find out.

XxX

The next day was hell. As if sensing something fairy decent might have happened to Harry for once in his life, Uncle Vernon unleashed a new idea of rage upon him. He woke Harry at five and made him cook breakfast, which wasn't too unusual, except for the fact that Vernon Dursley was never up before the sun. It wasn't until he was informed that the family was going to a special event that he realized why the sudden change of sleeping habits happened.

What made it worse, besides him not being invited-which he didn't really mind, because he hated going anywhere with the Dursley's-was the fact that Uncle Vernon decided he couldn't trust Harry enough to be in any part of the house without him there. Instead of locking Harry in his room, Vernon decided to do something much worse.

Vernon grumbled while dragging Harry up the stairs and to the bathroom. "You'll stay here because I don't want you making a mess of anything in my house. We'll be coming back later with a few guests and I don't need any of your _freakiness_ ruining things. Got it?"

Before Harry could answer, he found himself being forced to sit on the closed toilet seat and his hand was handcuffed to the sink faucet. He looked at his uncle in astonishment, but Vernon said nothing more and closed the door behind him.

If Harry hadn't been worried about being expelled, he would have hexed his uncle into oblivion. Where was Sirius now? _Probably enjoying tea with Professor Lupin, _Harry thought bitterly. Did Sirius even like tea? It wasn't something he could imagine very well.

He pulled on his hand a few times, trying to figure out which would break first: it or the faucet. It looked like the latter seemed to be a better option. He knew he would get in a lot of trouble for breaking the sink if he tried hard enough. Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes. He needed food. He had barely gotten any breakfast and he wasn't sure when Uncle Vernon would be back again.

He tried to keep the thought of a delicious dinner out of his head by entertaining the idea of learning to sing. He knew bathrooms had good acoustics, but he wasn't really sure what that meant exactly. They just echoed a lot. He figured it was probably best for everyone's safety if he never sang a note in his life, though. He laid his head against the counter, suddenly tired. As he drifted to sleep, he wondered if it would be worth it to eat his hand off. He'd seen it in muggle movies before.

He woke later to the front door being slammed and loud voices talking. He could hear footsteps booming up the stairs and he tried to clear his vision before the door burst open and Uncle Vernon yanked him to his feet, pulling his bound hand along with him. The pain made Harry wince, but Vernon was already unlocking the cuff and dragging him out of there before he could complain. He shoved Harry back into his room, sending him tumbling to the floor.

The next thing happened so fast that Harry wasn't sure it had happened at all. He swore Uncle Vernon kicked him in the stomach, but the only thing that make him almost sure he had was the pain radiating in his ribs. What was wrong with him?

"You've done it now," Uncle Vernon was saying. "Messed it up for all of us. If you think you're getting off easy this time, you're wrong."

Harry frowned. He had no idea what he was talking about, but it wasn't hard to smell the liquor rolling off the man. Uncle Vernon never really needed a reason to be angry, though he probably really needed to visit alcoholic's anonymous once in a while. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

Harry stayed on the ground, the shock of it all finally wearing off. He wished he drank in that moment, so he and Vernon could at least have one thing in common. Maybe he could figure out what made his uncle so angry if he could just understand him.

He dragged himself up and over to his bed, collapsing on it. His ribs were throbbing. He let out a few breaths, wondering if he should tell Sirius about this. A tapping on his window pulled him away from the thought and gave him the answer he needed. He got to his feet and pulled back the curtains. Hedwig was perched on the window seal, a letter in her beak. She hooted and pecked again, but Harry could only put his hand up against the glass. He couldn't open the window and he hadn't realized it last night in the dark. It was bolted shut.

"I'm sorry, girl," Harry said softly. "I can't open the window. You're gonna have to go back to Sirius's."

Hedwig pecked again. Harry sighed. "Please, Hedwig. You have to go back to Sirius's. He'll take care of you. I can't keep you here."

She seemed to understand and hooted once more before flying off, the letter she had brought still with her. Harry watched her go, wondering with dread if he had made a huge mistake by sending his only connection to the wizard world off. He didn't have to wonder long. He'd made enough mistakes in his life to recognize another.

XxX

"Sirius!" Remus called from the kitchen. "Hedwig is back! She must have a letter from Harry."

Remus laughed as he heard Sirius scrambling down the stairs. He let the owl in through the window and took the letter from her. He looked at it quizzically. It wasn't from Harry.

"What's it say?" Sirius asked as he hurried into the kitchen. Remus looked up at him.

"It's not from Harry," He said. "It's your letter."

"Well, open it," Sirius replied as he came forward. "Maybe Harry didn't have any parchment and just added onto it."

Remus opened the letter and scanned the contents, handing it over to Sirius. Sirius looked at it for a long moment before rubbing his forehead and sitting down in a chair at the table.

"Why would he send back my letter?" He asked. "Do you suppose he's all right?"

"Maybe his uncle wouldn't let Hedwig in," Remus suggested. "He does have a bit of a temper with anything magic related."

"Owls aren't magical, Remus."

"No, but they aren't the muggle way of sending letters."

Sirius bit his lip. "Maybe I should go check on him."

"You can't, Sirius," Remus said calmly. "You know that. You almost got caught the last time you were there."

Sirius sighed and tossed the letter onto the table. "I know, Moony."

"I'm sure he's all right," Remus proceeded. "We'll send Hedwig back in a few days and see if maybe his uncle has calmed down."

"All right." Sirius ran a hand through his long hair, eyeing his friend. "Nothing can happen to him, right?"

"Absolutely not. Dumbledore has a lot of wards up around that house. He wouldn't let anyone hurt him."

Sirius nodded. "Good."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! I didn't think I'd hear from anybody so I was pleasantly surprised! **  
**There were also a LOT of story alerts on this, so I know you guys are out there :)  
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**Enjoy!  
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Harry liked the number three. In a way, it was what let him know he was still alive. He knew, in average, the body could go three days without water, around three weeks without food, and three minutes without wanting to punch Dudley in the face for acting like a spoiled git-well, maybe that last part was just him.

He'd only gone into the next day without water (having none the previous day when Uncle Vernon locked him in the bathroom) before his door was unlocked and a glorious glass that seemed to glow was shoved into his room, along with a plate of food. He waited until the door closed and locked again before he went to it.

His ribs were still sore, but felt a lot better than the previous night. He was sure Uncle Vernon had sobered by now and probably forgotten his actions. That was just fine with Harry. He tried to forgot what happened himself.

Aunt Petunia came to his door later again in the day to let him use the bathroom. Harry tried to ask her what he'd done to make Uncle Vernon so mad, but she kept her lips shut tight and waited until he was finished with his business before locking him in his room again. Harry wondered if anyone had ever told her she looked like a bird when she did that. He definitely knew what her animagus would be if she had one.

With nothing else to do but stare at the ceiling in dismay, Harry quickly grew so bored that he would have done homework if he could have. Unfortunately for Harry, and it really was _such_ a shame, his trunk and other school belongings were locked in the cupboard under the stairs.

He didn't have much of anything stowed in his secret hiding place in his room. He wasn't allowed to use his wand, and he didn't think his aunt and uncle would find it funny if he happened to disappear the next time they came to let him out of the room, so his invisibility cloak was out of the question. He decided to write a letter to Sirius, even though he knew it would never get to him. He'd sent Hedwig off to stay with Sirius. He had no connections to the wizard world.

He pried the loose floorboard up and grabbed a piece of parchment and his quill. Sitting down on the floor with his back against the bed, Harry thought for a moment, deciding what to write.

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**Hello from hell. The weather is fantastic down here. It's slightly hot, with a chance of sheer misery and absolute bitterness. You'd be surprised, but the devil looks a lot like Uncle Vernon. The resemblance is almost uncanny. **_

_**This letter will never get to you, so it doesn't matter what I write. I wish that I could spend the summer with you and Professor Lupin. At least then I'd have some form of entertainment. The only entertainment I get here is when Dudley tries to fit two hot dogs in his mouth at the same time because he's too impatient to try and finish one before starting the other. It kind of makes me want to hurl. I feel like I'm forced to watch him suffocate himself sometimes, which I guess is better than being handcuffed in the bathroom all day. **_

_**Do you think walls can close in on you? I kind of feel like mine move in a little closer each day. **_

Harry stopped writing. Someone was coming up the stairs. Folding the letter quickly, he shoved everything back into the space they'd come from and pushed the floorboard back down just in time for his door to be unlocked.

"Get downstairs," Aunt Petunia said as she opened the door, crossing her arms over her chest. "Vernon wants a word with you."

"Just one?" Harry asked, scrambling to his feet. "I hope it's 'haberdashery'. I rather enjoy that word."

Aunt Petunia scowled and grabbed Harry by the arm, pulling him along. "You'd be best to act respectful before you get downstairs."

Harry didn't say anything. He was trying too hard to keep his footing as he followed his aunt. He let out a breath of relief when they'd made it past the last step and he hadn't fallen to his death. Aunt Petunia pushed him into the living room and headed for the kitchen.

"You wanted a word?" Harry asked his uncle, who was sitting on the couch with a newspaper in his hands. Upon hearing his voice, Vernon lowered the paper and glared at him.

"Come over here, boy," Vernon growled. Harry stepped closer, cautious to keep out of kicking range. "You're making dinner tonight and I want no complaining. Petunia's friend is coming for a visit and I'll have none of your _freakiness_."

"Why do you say that like I always do magic?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

"Don't say that word in my house!" Vernon snapped, rising to his feet.

"It's not like I'm allowed to do it anyway!" Harry cried. "You know that."

Vernon froze for a moment. Realization seemed to dawn on him and Harry's face fell. Uncle Vernon hadn't remembered that Harry wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school, and Harry hadn't remembered that he should have used his brain. Common sense was a wonderful thing when it was put to use.

"That's right," Vernon drawled slowly. "Your kind is terrified of you doing…well, _you-know-what_, outside of that freak school."

Harry rolled his eyes. "No one underage is allowed to do magic outside of school. It's a wizard law, it's not _just_ assigned to me."

Uncle Vernon moved in a flash and had Harry's shirt collar in his hand, pulling him close. "_Stop _using those words in my house!"

Harry tried to pry the fat fingers off him. "Let go of me!"

Vernon released him and shoved him back, causing Harry to lose his balance. He tumbled into the coffee table, his side bursting in pain. His vision blurred slightly and he looked up at his angry uncle.

"Boy," Vernon hissed. "There's going to be some changes around here."

Harry swallowed hard. Those changes weren't going to be the new curtains Aunt Petunia wanted.

XxX

"Moony!"

"Yes, Sirius?"

"Did you know that the Eiffel tower is three hundred and twenty meters tall?"

Remus lowered his book and looked at his friend in amusement. "Three hundred and twenty four. Why're you reading a muggle book?"

Sirius shrugged and sank down in the armchair next to Remus, closing the book and letting it fall to the ground. "Because I'm horribly bored. Have you heard anything from Harry yet?"

"You'd be the first to know if I did," Remus replied, continuing to read. Sirius sighed loudly.

"I'm worried, Remus."

"I know, Padfoot," Remus said softly. "But I'm sure Harry's fine. Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to him."

"How do you know?"

"Because I do."

"But what if something happened and no one knows?" Sirius asked.

"I'm sure nothing's happened, Sirius."

Sirius sat up and pushed down Remus's book to see his face. "You're not listening to me, Moony."

"Of course I am," Remus said. "Sirius, I understand you're concerned, and I'll send an owl to Albus so he can check up on Harry, but there's nothing you can do except wait. Can you do that?"

"I suppose if I have to," Sirius grumbled.

XxX

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**Another letter that will never get to you. I'm worried. Something has…happened. I just don't know what. My uncle…he's so angry and I'm so…irritating, I guess. All right, I **_**know**_** I'm irritating. It's not my fault though. Anything related to magic is irritating to this family. It's like they want so badly to believe it doesn't exist, like it'll make them normal. Well, if only they knew how abnormal they really were. Normal families don't shove people into coffee tables, and normal families definitely don't have children like Dudley. What kind of a "normal" name is Dudley, anyway? Sounds like a firework that didn't go off. **_

_**The walls have moved another inch. Sometimes I can almost hear them laughing at me. They sound surprisingly like I'd imagine Aunt Petunia to laugh, but I'm not sure I've ever heard her laugh in my life. **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys! I'm glad you guys like my slightly OC and sarcastic Harry! I always wanted to write a sarcastic Harry since he does get a bit mouthy sometimes in the actual books and it amuses me :)**

**Thanks for the reviews! Yay!  
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**Enjoy!**

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Harry lay on the floor gasping. He wasn't sure what about being in pain made him feel like he'd just run a marathon, but he didn't like it. It wasn't enough to _just_ be in pain. He wished it was.

He tried to steady his breathing, but something was radiating in his chest. Was he having a heart attack? Did wizards have heart attacks? Harry tried to remember the symptoms of it, but he wasn't sure. It seemed too focused to be a heart attack, not to mention his stomach hurt, too.

When he stopped to think about it, almost everything hurt. It took every ounce of effort he had not to cry out as he crawled to his bed. Uncle Vernon wouldn't like it if he cried out. Harry couldn't take another round of beatings tonight. He didn't know how much longer he could take any of it. He wanted to leave, to run away and never look back.

He stared at the ceiling and tried to imagine he was somewhere else. Hawaii sounded nice. He'd seen pictures of it in some of Aunt Petunia's magazines. He'd never been to any of the States. The farthest away from home he'd ever been was Hogwarts. That counted to him. Scotland was pretty far away for someone who'd never traveled anywhere else.

Harry closed his eyes. He wondered if his mom and dad ever traveled anywhere exotic. He could imagine them sightseeing, laughing and chatting excitedly. It made his heart hurt. Sometimes he missed them more than he cared to admit. He never knew them really, so he wasn't sure how he could miss something he never had. But he did. And now, to add to it, he missed Sirius, who he also never had. Sirius was the closest thing he could have to a real family. He wanted that more than anything in the world.

A tapping on the window brought him from his thoughts. He knew it was Hedwig, but he couldn't find the strength to go to the window. She kept tapping impatiently, the sound getting louder.

"Hedwig," Harry pleaded, hoping she could hear. "Girl, you have to go. Uncle Vernon doesn't want you here."

She hooted loudly and Harry heard footsteps booming up the stairs. Panic rose in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He painfully pushed himself into a sitting position as his door slammed open.

"Boy!" Vernon growled. "What is that foul animal doing to my window?"

"She-she just wants to give me a letter," Harry said.

"I don't think so," Vernon said angrily. "The less contacts you have with those freaks, the better. Now make her go away."

Harry listened for a moment, not hearing her anymore. Hedwig knew when to take a hint. "She's already gone."

"Don't get an attitude with me, boy."

"I wasn-"

Harry knew he should have stopped himself, but he was a teenager, and running your mouth involuntarily seemed to be a symptom of that. A hard slap across his face had him gasping, looking up at his uncle in disbelief. He wasn't sure why he wasn't used to it by now. It still seemed to shock him every time it happened.

"I've got a new theory, boy," Vernon growled. Harry bit his tongue to stop himself from asking out loud if that theory had anything to do with him getting a brain.

XxX

"Are you sure you want to do this, Moony?" Sirius asked. "No one has been in there in years."

"I think I can handle it," Remus replied. "How bad can it be?"

"I wish you wouldn't of asked that," Sirius mumbled as he opened the door to one of the rooms. They both stepped in cautiously, wands at the ready. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The room was a mess from being uninhabited for years, but there seemed to be no threat of danger.

"This doesn't look so bad," Sirius said. "I was expecting-"

"Sirius!" Remus cried as something hit Sirius and set him flying to the ground. It moved in a blur, too fast for Remus to see clearly. Sirius groaned from the ground and rolled over, pushing himself to his feet.

"What is that?" Remus asked, ducking to avoid being hit.

"I have no idea!" Sirius aimed his wand and sent off a spell, missing the creature and hitting the wall instead. "Stun it, Moony!"

Remus tried to follow it, but it bounced around the room, nearly hitting him again. "I can't even see it long enough to stun it!"

It hit him this time, sending him to the floor.

"Moony!"

Sirius aimed again, but missed. He hurried to his friend and helped him to his feet. Remus grabbed Sirius and pulled him to the side of the room.

"Aim in the corner when I say so," Remus instructed, raising his wand. He watched the creature bounce around for a moment. 'Now!"

Both of them shot spells towards the corner. One of them hit the creature, sending him tumbling into another wall and then the ground. Before Sirius and Remus could see what it was, he was back in the air, moving quickly.

"Did you stun him?" Remus asked. Sirius shook his head.

"Whatever I did didn't work, though."

"Let's just leave it," Remus said. "We can't hit it."

"You want to leave this _thing_ in the house?" Sirius asked, shielding his head as the creature flew by again.

"I'm sure there are worse things in this house that need us," Remus said, grabbing Sirius's arm and dragging him towards the door. Sirius pulled them both down as the creature soared over there heads. He shot a spell again.

"Come on, Padfoot," Remus said, pushing him into the hallway. He shut the door behind him, leaning back against it and letting out a breath. They both pocketed their wands in relief.

"Why don't we just charm that door so it doesn't open?" Remus suggested. "That sounds easier."

"Taking the easy way out, Moony. Getting a little too old for the fun?" Sirius asked, winking.

"I'm not too old to hex you, Padfoot," Remus said evilly. "Do remember that I learned how to do that from the best."

"James was _not_ the best at hexing," Sirius said as they headed down the hallway. "I _clearly_ was."

"Is that why he always had you on the ground within a minute?"

"He caught me by surprise!" Sirius cried, pushing Remus playfully. Remus rolled his eyes.

"It's not a surprise when you're dueling, Sirius."

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "We said hexing wasn't allowed."

"You did no such thing," Remus retorted calmly. "What's the point of a duel without hexing?"

"Experience?" Sirius retorted.

"Well you tell that to Harry when you two duel," Remus smiled.

"My godson would never hex me," Sirius said.

Remus laughed. "Just make sure he knows it isn't allowed before you start."

"Shut up, Moony."

XxX

Uncle Vernon's new theory had nothing to do with getting a brain, but when Harry found out what it really was, he wished it did.

He bit his lip to stop himself from crying out as he was shoved to the ground. A sharp kick greeted him in the stomach and he wrapped his arms around himself in defense. Uncle Vernon's new theory was if he hurt Harry enough, he wouldn't be able to do magic. If he wasn't able to do magic, he wouldn't be allowed to go to that "freak school" with "those people" who taught him his abnormal ways. Uncle Vernon knew Harry wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school, but now he was hoping Harry would never be able to do magic again.

"Stop," Harry gasped. "Please."

Harry wasn't sure why Uncle Vernon was so hell bent on him not ever doing magic. It's not like Harry was even around much. He was only there for the summer. Three months of something besides "normal" people in his house must have been too much for Uncle Vernon to handle.

With a kick to the head that left Harry's vision swirling, Uncle Vernon finally left the room, locking the door behind him as he went. Harry grabbed his head and moaned. He noticed his arm was bleeding, but he wasn't sure why. He hurt too much to think clearly.

For some reason, he reached out and pried the floorboard up, grabbing the parchment he'd been writing Sirius on. Every move sent pain shooting through him. If he was going to die, he was at least going to die trying. And he was at least going to tell Sirius.

He wasn't staying here anymore.

XxX

At dinner, a frantic pecking at the window made Sirius and Remus turn their heads sharply. Sirius was to his feet in seconds, opening the window and letting in a frazzled looking Hedwig. She was holding a letter.

Sirius took it from her and ripped it open without looking at the front, only to discover it was his letter again. Hedwig pecked him hard in the hand.

"Hedwig!" Sirius cried, bringing his finger to his mouth and sucking on the wound. Remus walked over and took the letter.

"Does it say anything?"

"No," Sirius said. "What's wrong with you, Hedwig? You don't bite."

Hedwig hooted and flapped her wings. Remus looked at her cautiously.

"Something's not right."

Hedwig flapped again. If Remus wasn't imaging, she almost seemed anxious. Hedwig and Harry were in tune with each other and she if returned without a new letter and seemingly on edge, something was wrong.

"Sirius, go floo Albus," Remus said sternly. "We need to have Harry checked on."

XxX

**Dear Sirius,**

**I…my hand's not working well. I'm sorry if you can't read this.**

**If I die tonight, please tell Professor Lupin I'm sorry. And I'm sorry to you. I can't do this anymore. I can't stay here. It hurts too much. Do I sound like a melodramatic teenager? I feel like one. **

**I don't know where I'm going. I'm not coming back here. I don't care if I get expelled from school…or killed by Voldemort. Maybe I'll go find him myself or something. Do you think he takes owls? I think he and Uncle Vernon should join together. It'd be the only way my life could get worse now. **

**Hope I didn't just curse myself by saying that. **

**Don't know when or if I'll ever see you. I'm sorry.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm just having so much fun with this story. Guess where Harry goes? Probably not somewhere he'd actually go, but that's why I'm writing this story and J.K. Rowling is not :)**

**Thanks so much for the reviews! And to the few people I got complaining about how I'm not updating my other stories much, please go to the latest chapter of "Kidnapped" for an explanation. Remember, this story AND "Kidnapped" are already written. I'm still writing the other one, so that's why it's taking longer.  
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**This is a longer chapter for you guys. For the sake of this, you must believe that Harry had some of his money changed into muggle money for the summer. We'll just say Hermione convinced him to do so or something, haha.  
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**Enjoy!**

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Harry couldn't stop to get his trunk. He couldn't grab any other belongings except his wand, which he refused to leave without. He couldn't waste time. He couldn't risk dragging anything with him and being caught. He couldn't carry anything even if he wanted to. He couldn't breathe.

He forced himself to move through the pain. He grabbed a jacket and pulled it over his aching body. He made sure he had his wand securely in his pocket before he worked on picking the locks on his door. It was harder than he expected because he couldn't make his hand stop shaking, but he finally managed to get them undone.

Quietly opening his door, Harry peaked his head out to make sure no one was in the hall. When he was sure the coast was clear, he tiptoed out and slowly limped his way down the stairs. He was doing the stupidest thing he'd ever done before. Not only was he running away, but he was taking virtually nothing with him. What kind of wizard did that?

He took a deep breath once he'd made it to the ground floor and he reached for the front door.

"What are you doing?" A voice bellowed. Harry spun quickly, instantly regretting it when he almost collapsed to the ground. Uncle Vernon came stomping down the stairs in his night clothes, his face turning an angry red. He made a move towards Harry, but Harry couldn't take it anymore. He pulled his wand from his pocket and aimed it his uncle, causing the man to freeze.

"Get away from me," He said.

"You-you can't use that," Uncle Vernon stuttered. "You'll be expelled. Arrested."

"I don't care," Harry said through clenched teeth, though he was silently chanting to himself _don't use magic unless you have to, don't use magic unless you have to. _"Back up."

Vernon didn't move. "Where do you think you'll go, boy? You won't be allowed back with those freaks."

"Shut up," Harry said sharply. His hand was shaking. "Any place on earth is better than here."

"How dare you be disrespectful." Vernon tried to sound angry, but Harry could tell he was petrified. He honestly and truly believed Harry would use his wand. "We took you in, raised you when no one else would! No one else wanted you."

"Sirius wanted me," Harry whispered, fuming.

"The convict?" Vernon barked out a laugh. "That make you feel good, boy? That the only person who wants you is a murderer?"

Sparks exploded from the end of Harry's wand. His eyes lit with fury. Vernon stumbled back up a few steps on the staircase.

"Don't you _ever _talk about my godfather again," Harry growled. He fumbled for the doorknob behind him, making sure to keep his wand aimed at his uncle. In one fluid motion, he was outside, the door slammed close, and he was hurrying away from the house. What had he done?

His mind swirled. He hadn't done magic. That was a plus. No one at the Ministry would be notified. They wouldn't even know he ran away as long as he didn't make himself traceable. But he needed to get somewhere. He wasn't sure where, but he needed to be away from here.

Taking a deep breath, Harry raised his hood over his head so his face couldn't be seen and then extended his wand hand out. Just like he expected, a huge BANG filled the quiet night air and the familiar violently purple double-decker bus he had run away with last year was back.

Stan, the conductor Harry met when he pretended to be Neville Longbottom, leapt out.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step-"

"Yeah, yeah," Harry said impatiently. "I know. Can we go?"

Stan stopped his memorized speech and eyed Harry suspiciously. "No bags?"

"No," Harry said. Stan nodded cautiously and motioned Harry aboard.

"Where to?"

Harry painfully climbed the steps, wincing as he did so, and sat down on the first bed. He stopped to think. He wanted to stay somewhere near muggle London so he could get to Diagon Alley if he needed, but he didn't want to _be _in London. He was easier to find in London. He faintly remembered a show that had been playing on Aunt Petunia's television, showing cheap places to stay on vacation. He racked his brain, trying to recall it. "The Novotel… in, er… Stevenage?"

"Novotel Stevenage," Stan called to the driver, knowing exactly where Harry was requesting.

"Ar," Ern replied.

"Right," Stan said nervously. "'Old tight, then."

Harry braced himself as the bus started with another BANG and shot off. The force sent pain coursing through him, making him bite back a moan.

"All right, there?" Stan asked. Harry nodded. He let out a sigh and lowered his hood, knowing Stan would never trust him if he didn't show his face. Stan could kick him off any minute if he had reason to.

"Blimey," Stan cried. "It's 'Arry Potter! What brings you back 'ere?"

Harry rubbed his eyes, deciding against telling the truth. "I threatened my uncle cause he was beating me and then ran away" didn't really sound like the kind of story he wanted to admit.

"Blimey," Stan said again, softly. "You're 'urt. We should be takin' you to the 'ospital."

"No!" Harry said quickly. "Listen…no one can know I'm here, OK?"

"But, 'Arry…at least let us take you to the Leaky Cauldron."

"Please, Stan. I just need to get to the hotel. I'll be all right from there."

Stan bit his lip. It was clear to Harry that he didn't like the idea. Harry knew he must look bad. He certainly felt like it.

"I don't know… "

Harry found himself getting irritated. "It's not your decision, is it?"

He instantly regretted saying it. Stan was only worried. Harry wondered if perhaps _he_ was the one who needed anger management himself, along with his uncle.

"I'm sorry," He said quickly, letting out a sigh. "I didn't mean to snap. I'll contact someone from the hotel. They'll come help me."

Stan still looked unsure, but the bus slammed to a stop before he could object. They were at their destination. Ernie turned and watched Harry stand up.

"How much?" Harry asked, glad that had decided on bringing money with him.

Stan shook his head. "Free of charge. 'Long as you promise to get 'elp."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. "I will."

With the help of Stan, he made it down the steps of the bus and waved. "Bye!"

With another loud BANG, the bus was gone. Harry felt like collapsing. He stumbled his way up to the quaint looking hotel. He'd never been here before and he was sure he didn't look like he should be now. He pushed open the door and looked around the large lobby as he headed towards the front desk. A stressed looking woman with her hair in a bun looked up as he approached. The circles under her eyes made him wonder what time it was. He knew it was past midnight.

"Can I help you?"

"I need a room," Harry said.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you eighteen?"

Harry nodded quickly. "Yes."

"Marissa, the Smith family is wanting _another_ new room!" A voice called from somewhere behind the lady. "Apparently this one smells bad!'

Marissa rolled her eyes and let out a huff. She either seemed to forgot about her disbelief of Harry being eighteen, or she just didn't care anymore. Harry could tell she was stressed and too tired. He felt some sympathy for her, as she must have felt for him, because that was the main reason he believed she let him get a room with no questions. She did eye his bruises a couple times.

A few hurried minutes and a fake name later, he had a room and she was off trying to deal with the Smith family. He took the elevator with great relief, not sure if he would have been able to make it up the stairs in his current condition. He walked down the hall, counting off the numbers on the doors until he got to the one he was assigned to. He opened the door and closed it behind him, locking the extra lock. He wasn't sure why. Anyone who was looking for him who wanted in could easily get in. That was one of the downfalls of being a wizard. Locks could be rather useless sometimes, unless powerful.

The room was simple but nice, and if Harry had been in any other state of mind then the one he was currently in, he would have taken more notice of it. Instead, he slowly kicked off his shoes and climbed into the wonderfully soft looking bed. He laid back against the pillows and pulled his glasses off, setting them on the end table. He had no intentions of telling anyone he was here. He didn't want to be a burden and for some reason, he just didn't want to be found. Besides, if he told Dumbledore, he knew he'd be sent back to the Dursley's, and there was no way he was going back there. He'd rather face Voldemort wearing a sunflower dress then do that.

Pain surged through him. For a moment, Harry randomly wished he knew the rest of a prayer that was running through his head from a commercial that had been on TV once while Dudley was watching some dance show. "If I die before I wake…" was all Harry knew.

The moment passed and he hoped what he knew was enough as he let the pain consume him and drifted from consciousness.

XxX

"You'd better be careful, Sirius," Remus warned as they walked down the street. The big black dog next to him barked. Remus tried not to roll his eyes. "You know Dumbledore said if you came you had to stay in dog form. Don't forget that, all right?"

Padfoot barked again.

"Well, this is it," Remus said. He looked up the driveway at a house that looked similar to all the houses around it. A silver car was parked outside and a whimsical tune was coming out from an open window. Remus knew it was the television. It was popular among muggles.

He walked up the driveway with Padfoot next to him and knocked on the door. A moment later, a very round and plump man opened the door, making Padfoot snort. Remus nudged him in warning.

"Hello, my name is Remus Lupin. I'm a professor at Hogwarts." At the mention of the word, he watched the man's face drop and his body stiffen. "We're- er, _I'm_ here to check up on Harry. Albus Dumbledore sent me for a check up to see how he's dealing with everything."

The man at the door, presumably Vernon Dursley, looked angry. "What, no one told you?"

"Told me what?" Remus asked.

"He's not here." Vernon looked around, making sure none of the neighbors were watching. "Now I'd greatly appreciate if you'd leave before someone notices your…_kind _around my house."

He moved to slam the door, but Remus shot out a hand, stopping him. "What do you mean Harry's not here? Where is he?"

"Hell if I know," Vernon spat. "Little brat pulled his…well, his you-know-what on me and ran off."

"His wand?" Remus asked, trying to clarify as Padfoot let out a growl. "He pulled his wand on you?"

"Shh!" Vernon hissed, looking around. "Yes! He pulled it on me and then ran off."

"Where'd he go?"

"I don't know!" Vernon said in exasperation, obviously wishing this wasn't happening where his neighbors could see. "He said he wasn't staying here and he left. Now you'd be best to do the same."

"Wait!" Remus demanded before he could close the door again. "Did he take anything with him? When did he leave?"

"He left last night and left his bloody junk here," Vernon said. "You might as well come in and take in. I don't want my neighbors asking questions. Just come inside."

Remus stepped in, Padfoot following. Vernon glared at the dog, but closed the door, leading him down the hall. Remus could smell it the moment he entered the house, his wolf senses picking it up. As they walked, Padfoot whined and pawed him. He smelled it, too. Blood.

Quickly and without sound, Remus pulled his wand from his pocket. Vernon noticed it as he stopped by the cupboard under the stairs.

"Mr. Dursley, if Harry is here and you're not telling me, you'll get in a lot of trouble," Remus said calmly. Vernon eyed the wand nervously.

"He's not here, I tell you," He said, his voice shaking. "You can search all you like. He took off."

Remus nodded and lowered his wand. Vernon unlocked the cupboard and stepped aside to let Remus grab Harry's belongings. Padfoot whined again and Remus looked at him.

"Don't you dare," He said softly. "If you transform, the wards will go off and the Ministry will be here in seconds."

Padfoot huffed while Vernon shot them an odd look. Remus dragged Harry's trunk out. "Is this everything?"

"Yes," Vernon said impatiently. "Now please leave!"

"May I check Harry's room for anything else?" Remus asked. Vernon growled.

"Fine!" He threw his arms up. "Upstairs, second door on the right."

"Thank you."

Remus left Harry's trunk at the foot of the stairs and headed up towards Harry's room, the smell of blood becoming stronger. When he got to it, he opened the door and let Padfoot through. The dog immediately began whining again.

"I know, Padfoot," Remus said gently. "I smell it, too."

Remus looked around the room. Broken toys littered the floor in the corner and the open closet door revealed a mess of clothes inside, all of them torn and too small to fit Harry. The bed was messy and on the nightstand next to it was a picture of two familiar people: Lily and James. Remus went over and looked at it for a moment before picking it up. Harry would want this.

Padfoot was sniffing under the bed when he suddenly made a strange noise and started dragging something out. Remus kneeled down. Padfoot had a few large piece of parchment in his mouth, along with a quill and a small bag filled with something.

Remus took the objects from him and flipped through them for a moment before standing up. He opened a few drawers to make sure there was nothing else they needed while Padfoot sniffed around for the source of where the smell of blood was coming from.

After finding nothing more, they both went back downstairs. Vernon was waiting impatiently for them.

"Expect word from someone soon on where Harry is," Remus said as he opened Harry's trunk and stuffed the new objects in. He picked it up and followed Padfoot out the door. "We'll try to get him back soon."

"Don't bother," Vernon muttered. "Nothing but a nuisance anyway."

The door slammed close before Remus could say anything more. He raised an eyebrow. It was hard for him to believe Harry could be a nuisance. He was a very respectful boy, especially for his age.

Padfoot pawed him impatiently.

"Yes, all right," Remus said, beginning the descent back down the driveway. "Where could Harry have gone? And why would he pull his wand on his uncle? He knows better than that."

Padfoot barked.

"He is a rather strange man, isn't he?" Remus asked. "Still…I can't believe Harry would do that. But…that blood. That was definitely Harry's. I've got his scent down enough to recognize it. I just don't understand why it would be there."

There was a loud POP next to him as Sirius transformed back into his human self. "He must be hurt, Moony. We need to tell Dumbledore."

"I'm already on it," Remus said, setting down Harry's trunk and grabbing Sirius's arm. He pulled an object from his pocket and looked around before whispering something. Sirius grabbed Harry's trunk quickly and then they disappeared without a trace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Before anyone gets mad at me for not updating "Kidnapped" and this story, PLEASE READ THIS!**

**I know I said that both the stories were already written, but I've decided to do some re-writing cause there were some things I wanted to change. This story isn't going to be that long, so it'll probably be done soon. Please don't get upset that I decided to re-write stuff and haven't updated yet.  
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**Thanks for all the support of this story! Glad you guys like my Harry! My Dumbledore is a tad bit different, too, but I didn't want to make him a jerk. Hope you don't mind. :)  
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Remus and Sirius slammed into the ground back at Remus's house. They'd only been there a few times that summer since most of their time was spent at Black Manor. Remus hurried towards the fireplace while Sirius dropped down next Harry's trunk and started digging through it.

"What're you doing?" Remus asked.

"Looking for something," Sirius muttered. Remus shrugged and threw the powder in his hand into the fireplace. Green flames erupted and flickered.

"Albus, we've got an emergency," Remus called. A moment later, Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace, dusting his robes off.

"Hello Remus," He said cheerfully. "Sirius."

"Albus, there was a bit of situation," Remus said quickly. "We went to check on Harry, but he was gone."

"I presume he was not out for a stroll?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. Remus shook his head.

"His uncle says Harry pulled his wand on him last night and ran away. He didn't take anything with him and Sirius and I could smell his blood all through the house."

"You're sure he wasn't there?"

"Absolutely. We checked his room and I would have picked up his scent if he was."

Dumbledore frowned and looked curiously at Sirius. "Sirius, may I ask what's troubling you?"

Remus turned around. Sirius was sitting in front of Harry's trunk, parchment clenched in his hands. He looked frazzled and his face was flushed.

"What is that, Sirius?" Remus asked. Sirius looked up at him. His eyes scared Remus.

"Letters from Harry," Sirius said in a quiet voice. "To me."

"What do they say?"

"He was handcuffed in the bathroom all day." Sirius scanned through the letters with shaky hands. "They shoved him into the coffee table. He said his uncle was really mad and something was happening. But…"

"What?" Remus asked gently.

"His last letter…" Sirius swallowed hard. "He told me he was leaving, that he was in too much pain to stay. Said he wasn't…said if he died, to tell me and Remus he was sorry, but he couldn't stay there anymore."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "I was not aware something that unpleasant was going on. Were either of you?"

Remus shook his head. "We couldn't have been. Harry sent his owl here."

"Oh yes, I forget sometimes that his relatives don't approve much of anything magic related. Understandable that he'd send Hedwig away to keep her safe."

"What do we do?" Sirius asked. "He could be anywhere out there. He said he might go find Voldemort."

"What?" Remus cried.

Dumbledore didn't seem troubled. "I have a hard time believing Harry would do that. I think he was just, how you say, blowing off steam. May I see the letters?"

Sirius nodded and got to his feet. He handed Dumbledore the parchment and then moved over to the couch, burying his face into his hands.

"He's hurt and he's alone," Sirius mumbled. "Where would he go?"

"The Leaky Cauldron?" Remus suggested. "He went there last time."

"I'll see if Tom has seen him," Dumbledore said. "May I keep these letters for now? I'd like to look more into them."

"Sure," Sirius shrugged.

"Excellent." Dumbledore pocketed the letters. "Now, as for finding Harry, do either of you have any other place you think he'd go?"

"Wait, can't you track him?" Sirius asked quickly.

"Unfortunately, no. Not unless he has done magic, and if he had, I would have been alerted by the Ministry. I'm going to assume that Harry doesn't really want to be found."

"Why wouldn't he want to be found?" Remus wondered.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "That is the question, isn't it?"

XxX

Harry wanted to die. If the hotel caught on fire and burned down, he wasn't sure he would mind very much. At least he would be put out of his misery.

Sometime later while he had been sleeping, he'd managed to slide his jeans off and throw them to the floor, laying in only his boxers and t-shirt. He was hot. He knew he wouldn't be able to get his shirt off. He'd kicked the covers off to the foot of the bed and still couldn't find any relief. He already felt like he was on fire. Literal fire had nothing on him now.

The only time he'd gotten up was earlier around lunch when he'd decided to try to go downstairs to get food, but hadn't been able to make it. He wound up calling the front desk and asking them if they could bring him something. A slightly grouchy young man had brought it up for him and had been determined on complaining until he saw Harry's current state. He'd asked Harry if he needed a doctor, but Harry refused and claimed he'd just gotten in a fight and didn't feel any pain.

He had turned on the television, but he wasn't really watching it. He never really ever watched it. He just liked the sound of something to distract him while he tried to eat as much as he could. It hadn't been much.

Now he was sleeping, covers kicked off, jeans tangled in a heap on the floor, and hair damp with sweat. He was uncomfortable and his rest was fitful. He dreamed he was back at Privet Drive. He was handcuffed to his bed, his uncle pounding the magic out of him. Inside, Harry wondered if Vernon could actually beat everything out of him until he was "normal." He knew he was going to try.

The pain felt so real to Harry that he lost sense of reality. Sometimes he would be in his room with his uncle and other times he would be in a hotel room somewhere outside of London. The only thing that gave him some sense of what dimension he was in was the television playing in the background. Harry could never hear it from his room upstairs.

"You'll never learn, will you?" His uncle asked angrily. Harry couldn't respond. He was gasping, his body shaking with tremors. His uncle grabbed a fistful of his shirt, yanking him up. Harry tried to listen for the TV.

"Answer me, boy!" He demanded. Harry grasped at his hand weakly, shaking his head. He couldn't remember what his uncle had asked. _It's not real, it's not real, it's not real. _

"You think you can run away and get away with it, boy? You've caused this family so much trouble. Why would you think we wouldn't find you? You had nowhere to go. You have no one and you have nothing."

"N-no," Harry gasped.

"No?" Uncle Vernon laughed. "You ARE nothing, boy. You are a freak, just like your parents."

"Shut…up…" Harry whispered.

His uncle's grip tightened on him. "I'm going to make you regret you were born, boy."

Harry swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He'd already been regretting it for a long time.

XxX

"Good news!" Dumbledore called as he stepped out of the fireplace. Remus raced into the living room from the kitchen while Sirius bounded down the stairs.

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

"It appears Harry took the Knight Bus from Privet Drive." Dumbledore strolled over towards the couch, sitting down on the arm of it.

"The Knight Bus," Remus said. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"No worries, Remus. I talked to Stan and he said that Harry was, in fact, one of the passengers the night his uncle claimed he ran away. There is some bad news, though."

"What? You don't know where he is?"

"Stan told me where the bus dropped him off," Dumbledore started. "But he also informed me that Harry was quite injured and wouldn't let them take him to St. Mungo's. Apparently Harry told Stan that he would contact someone and get help."

"But…he didn't," Sirius said in confusion.

"Did you honestly think he would, Sirius?" Remus asked. "This is Harry we're talking about."

"Regardless," Dumbledore cut in. "We do know now that he is hurt and obviously didn't want to come to us for help, for whatever reason he's decided."

"Well where is he?" Sirius asked quickly. "We need to go find him."

"He's in Stevenage."

"Where's that?"

"Outside of muggle London," Remus informed. "It's in Hertfordshire. Why would he go there, though? What's there?"

"A Novotel," Dumbledore said. "Stan said that's where he requested to go."

Sirius raised his hand in confusion. "What's a Novotel?"

"It's a muggle hotel. Kind of like the Leaky Cauldron."

"Why would he go there?" Sirius dropped his hand back down. "Why not just go to the Leaky Cauldron?"

"I think you're missing the fact that Harry didn't want to be found," Remus reminded him. "If he just walked into the Leaky Cauldron, everyone would recognize him."

"Oh." Sirius rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"There's some reason Harry didn't come into the wizard world," Dumbledore said. "Are we sure we want to ignore that and go find him?"

"Yes!" Sirius said automatically.

"I agree." Remus nodded. "Especially if he's hurt, Albus."

"Very well." Dumbledore stood up and smoothed out his robes. "I'll call Poppy in case we need her. I'll be back in a few moments and then we can leave."

He stepped back towards the fireplace and disappeared in a cloud of flames. Once it died down, Sirius turned to Remus impatiently.

"What?" Remus asked.

"I dunno about you," Sirius started, a wicked smile pulling on the corners of his mouth. "But I'm not waiting for him to get back."

Remus sighed deeply. "I didn't think you would, Padfoot._"_


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews! Sorry this took so long! And sorry if I didn't get back to your review! I get a little confused responding to people's reviews since I have more than one story going. Haha, sorry!**

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"Moony…" Sirius said in exasperation as they stood in front of the Novotel.

"What?"

"I just don't _get_ it. What _is_ this place?"

Remus rolled his eyes and ushered him forward. "It's a hotel, Sirius. I've told you. It's like the Leaky Cauldron for muggles."

Remus opened the door to the lobby and let Sirius through before following after him. Sirius glanced around the lobby, taking everything in.

"This is _nothing_ like the Leaky Cauldron," He muttered.

"Just keep your mouth shut and follow my lead, OK?" Remus said, heading towards the front desk. A lady who was working had been watching them since they entered and Remus silently cursed himself for not dressing more like muggles were used to.

"Can I help you?" The lady asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Yeah, you can-" Sirius started, but was silenced with an elbow to the ribs. Remus cleared his throat.

"We're looking for my…" Remus hesitated only a second, but picked it up without missing a beat. "Nephew. He called and told us he was staying here and that we should come visit, but he forgot to tell us what room he's in."

"All right," the lady said. "What's his name?"

"Harry Potter."

The lady looked through her files and frowned. "I'm sorry, there's no one here by that name."

"Could he have checked out?" Sirius asked Remus with worry.

"We don't have record of a Harry Potter ever being here," the lady informed him.

"Moony…" Sirius said in concern. Remus ignored him.

"Listen," Remus said, leaning forward to read the lady's name tag. "Marissa. We're looking for a boy who might have checked in under a false name. He's fifteen. Around this tall-" Remus held his hand up to his chest to show her. "-and he's got messy black hair and bright green eyes. Have you seen him?"

"Marissa!" A voice called. "The Smith family says their shower isn't working…._again_!"

Marissa grumbled a few swear words under her breath, making Sirius chuckle and Remus raise his eyebrows in amusement. She eyed the two of them, biting her lip.

"You're not the ones who hurt him, are you?"

"Of course not!" Sirius cried. "He's my godson. I would never hurt him."

"The people who hurt him are being taken care of," Remus said carefully. "But we do need to get him to safety."

"Marissa!" The voice called again. Marissa let out a growl and stood up.

"Third floor, room 214."

"Thank you," Remus said sincerely as Sirius started pulling him away. After a few seconds Remus yanked his arm free and hurried along with him. They nearly ran up the stairs, only stopping once to see what floor they were on. When they made it to the third floor, they slowed down, counting off door numbers as they went down the hall.

"Here!" Sirius called. Remus stopped next to him and knocked on the door.

"Harry?" He asked. "It's Professor Lupin. Are you in there?"

They listened for a moment, but there was no sound. Remus looked back and forth down the hall before pulling out his wand and muttering, "Alohomora." After a soft _click_, he pushed the door open gently and crept in.

"Harry?"

The site that greeted him wasn't pretty. Harry was lying on a big white bed, but Remus could see that spots of it were a rusty color. He reeked of blood. He had kicked his covers off and was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. The lack of clothes showed Remus the bruises covering him.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, pushing past Remus and running to his godson. He dropped down next to the bed. Harry's hair was damp with sweat and he was whimpering quietly in his sleep, clearly uncomfortable.

"Harry?" Sirius asked gently. "Can you hear me?"

Harry flinched slightly and made a sort of strangled noise. Remus sat down on the side of the bed and put a hand on Harry's cheek.

"He's burning up," He muttered. He moved his hand to Harry's forehead and pushed some of his damp hair away from his eyes, taking notice of the fact that Harry's scar looked red and irritated. He gingerly touched a bruise on Harry's cheek, making the boy moan.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Remus said gently, not sure if Harry could actually hear him or not. He turned to Sirius. "We should have waited for Madam Pomfrey. There's nothing that I can do for him here."

"In here, Poppy."

Sirius and Remus had been so wrapped up that they hadn't even noticed Dumbledore entering the room. Madam Pomfrey hurried in behind him.

"Step aside," She commanded, setting down her medical bag. Sirius jumped out of the way while Remus went to stand next to Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Harry, waiting for a diagnostic report.

"I see someone got a little over eager," Dumbledore commented pleasantly.

Remus sighed. "My apologizes, Albus. You know how Sirius can get."

"You didn't object either!" Sirius chimed in.

"Quiet!" Madam Pomfrey snapped, setting an empty potion vial down on the nightstand. She leaned forward, grabbing Harry's wrist to feel for a pulse. "Mr. Potter, can you hear me?"

"M-Madam Pomfrey?" Harry mumbled.

"Very good. Do you know where you are?" She asked, setting his arm down.

Harry mumbled something that no one could understand before falling quiet again. Madam Pomfrey turned to Dumbledore in exasperation.

"Albus, he needs to be moved to the hospital wing immediately. I need to get his fever down."

"Is he going to be all right?" Sirius asked in concern.

"It's hard to say right now, Mr. Black," Pomfrey responded. "But right now, he needs medical attention that I can not provide for him here."

"Poppy, how do you recommend we move him?" Dumbledore asked.

"I've given him a pain reliever. How we move him now is really no concern as long as it doesn't hurt him."

"Apparation would be the faster option," Remus said. "But only Dumbledore can Apparate into Hogwarts. Otherwise we'd need a Portkey."

"Quite convenient that I happen to have one of those on me," Dumbledore replied with a smile. He pulled a long necklace out of his pocket.

"I thought you couldn't take a Portkey into Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"You can when it's made by me," Dumbledore said. "Now someone grab a hold of Harry please."

"I'll do it." Sirius moved closer and lifted Harry up gently, holding him tight in his arms. Dumbledore handed him the necklace.

"I'll send you two along first. It will be easier that way. Are you ready?"

Sirius nodded. Dumbledore tapped the necklace with his wand and muttered a spell. A split second later, Harry and Sirius were gone.

If Sirius had been expecting the travel to go easy, he was wrong. Somewhere during the quick flash of spinning, the motion had woken Harry up. When they landed hard in the middle of the hospital wing, Harry pushed away from Sirius in panic. But the force of the impact was too much for Harry to handle and he collapsed down to his hands and knees.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, throwing aside the necklace. He kneeled next to him, putting a hand on his back. "Are you all right?"

Harry flinched and scrambled away from him, backing into one of the nearest beds. Sirius realized that he hadn't grabbed Harry's glasses and the boy's eyes were wild and slightly out of focus as he looked around him in a frenzy.

"Harry," Sirius said gently, crawling towards him. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're at the hospital wing…at Hogwarts. You ran away from your aunt and uncle. Do you remember that?"

Harry swallowed hard and nodded. From behind him, Sirius heard a familiar voice whisper, "Give him a moment." He knew that Remus, Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey were all watching him.

"You went to a…er, a…muggle hotel. Do you remember that as well?"

Harry nodded again, breathing hard. He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Sirius moved so he was sitting in front of him and gently reached out to touch his arm.

"Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I…I…"

"It's OK," Sirius said gently. "It'll be OK. Let's get you up and into a bed so Madam Pomfrey can make you feel better."

Sirius carefully helped Harry to his feet as Madam Pomfrey hurried forward to get a bed ready. Harry swayed for a moment before grasping Sirius's arm to steady himself. Sirius made to usher Harry forward, but Harry grabbed his head and let out a moan.

"Harry?" Sirius asked with concern.

"Sir'us," Harry muttered before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed into his godfather's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all the reviews! So awesome!**

** I won't bore you any longer. Here's a little bit of a fluff chapter for ya. **

**Enjoy!  
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Harry opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times. It was dark out- -that he could tell even without his glasses. He stuck his arm out to grab them, but fumbled in empty space when the bedside table didn't appear. Not only was it not there, but Harry realized the single motion of reaching for them should have sent pain shooting through him and it didn't.

Harry pushed himself up onto his elbows. He couldn't see well, but he knew he was no longer at the Novotel. If he had been in the right state of mind, he would have recognized the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Instead, he quietly slipped out of bed to investigate and tried to steady himself. He may have felt better, but the pain certainly wasn't gone. He could feel most of it radiating around his ribs.

Hugging his arms around his stomach, he slid his feet slowly along the cool floor. He wished he had his glasses. Walking blind and not knowing where he was was one of the worst feelings he ever had. It made him anxious.

He could barely make out the outline of a door ahead of him, but before he could get any closer, he heard footsteps and hushed voices. He froze in place. For a moment he stood, unsure of what to do, before looking around. He needed to hide, but he couldn't see. He didn't know where he couldn't _be _seen.

"Harry?"

Two blurry figures approached him. It was too late to hide anywhere. The terror in his chest made it hard to breathe. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He had faced an evil dark lord more than once and had never felt so scared. Unable to do anything else, he sank to his knees.

"Harry!"

Someone kneeled in front of him and put a hand under his chin, lifting his face. Harry flinched and closed his eyes tightly.

"Sirius, move," a voice said gently. The hand released him as another slid something onto his nose. He recognized the feel of his glasses and opened his eyes cautiously.

"Harry, are you all right?"

"Professor Lupin?" Harry asked in confusion.

Remus placed a cool hand on his forehead, feeling for his temperature. "Please call me Remus, Harry. Why're you out of bed? Is your stomach hurting?"

Harry realized his hands were still wrapped tight around his stomach, but ignored his questions. "Where am I?"

Remus frowned. "You're still burning up. You're at the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?"

"Don't you remember coming here? From the Novotel you ran away to?"

Harry shook his head. "I…I remember the Novotel. How long have I been here?"

"Not long. You got here yesterday evening."

"Mr. Potter!" A voice rang. Heels clicked impatiently along the tile floor, approaching them quickly. "You're much too ill to be wandering around. Get back in bed now before I'm forced to put you in a full body-bind."

"Poppy!" a familiar voice cried. Harry didn't pay attention though. The thought of being stuck in a body-bind made it hard for him to breathe. He was tired of being trapped.

Remus grabbed his arm to help him stand, but Harry pushed away from him, scooting back and shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked in concern.

Harry pulled his knees up to his chest, gasping for air. "No bind."

"Harry, calm down," Remus said gently. "Just breathe."

Harry couldn't breathe, though. He shook his head again and buried his face into his knees, mumbling the word "claustrophobic."

"Everyone back up," the familiar voice from before commanded. Harry felt the air around him change. After a few silent moments, he lifted his head slowly. He could breathe again.

"Are you all right, Harry?" The voice asked. Harry turned towards it, letting out a gasp of shock.

"S-Sirius?" He gaped. Sirius kneeled down so he was level with him. He stayed far enough away that Harry didn't feel he was closed in.

"Hey kiddo," He said. "Poppy is going to throw a tantrum if you don't get in bed."

"Sirius…" Harry said slowly. "You can't be here, not in human form. Someone could see you."

"It's summer, Harry. No one else is here."

"Summer?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded. "Are you feeling all right now? Can you breathe?"

"I'm fine," Harry muttered softly, though his chest still felt tight. His cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment. Sirius seemed to notice.

"Nothing to be ashamed about, Harry. You were locked up for a while. Considerable that you wouldn't like it now."

Harry nodded and swallowed nervously. Madam Pomfrey was coming back from her office and Harry realized that he hadn't even noticed her leave. She pushed past Remus and kneeled in front of him.

"Drink this, Mr. Potter," She said, handing him a vial. Harry took it from her, his hands shaking.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Something to relax you. Now drink."

Knowing better than to defy Madam Pomfrey, Harry downed it quickly, cringing at the taste. Not even a moment later, he felt his eyes begin to droop. He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to be with Sirius while he could be. It wasn't fair.

"Sir'us," he mumbled. He felt Sirius beside him, catching him as he started to sink forward.

"I know, Pronglet," Sirius said gently. Harry was too groggy to acknowledge the nickname. He gripped Sirius's sleeve weakly.

"Don' leave," he managed to say before blackness took over him.

XxX

Remus made a sound of disappointment and sat back down in the chair next to Harry's bed. Sirius sat on the other side, leaning forward anxiously like he had been for the past day.

"He's still feverish," Remus said.

"Why isn't Poppy's medicine working?" Sirius asked in concern. "Why has he been sleeping so long?"

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was getting sick himself. The full moon was in a few days and he could feel the beginning effects of it. "Poppy says there's only so much the medicine can do. Harry was rather ill and he just needs time to rest and recuperate."

Sirius sat back in his chair in defeat. "He was so scared, Moony. Look what they did to him."

"I know," Remus said quietly. "It's disturbing to know what went on behind our backs. Harry's going to need you now more than ever, Sirius. He needs comfort, whether he wants to admit it or not."

"He needs you, too," Sirius objected.

Remus smiled and shook his head. "Not like he needs his godfather. Besides, I'll be out of commission for a few days anyway."

Sirius's look changed to one of concern again. "How're you feeling? The full moon is soon, isn't it?"

"Day after tomorrow," Remus said. "Severus has given me more potion, so I'll be all right."

"He's still a git," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"Be nice," Remus chided with a smile. "Without this potion, the transformation would be a lot worse."

"I know, I know."

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of moaning. Both Sirius and Remus looked down quickly at the boy sleeping in the bed between them. Harry's head rolled to the side. His fingers twitched and his arm jerked before his head rolled back to the other side in his fitful slumber.

"Cedric," Harry mumbled in agony. His hands dug into the bed and his chest heaved. "No!"

"Harry!" Sirius grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"Cedric!" Harry cried. "Mum! He killed him…he killed him…"

"Harry," Remus said gently. "Wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Harry's eyes snapped open and he took a few breaths as though he was gasping. Sirius reached over and grabbed his glasses before sliding them on his face. As Harry's eyes focused, he looked at the two people over him.

"Are you all right?" Sirius asked.

Harry's breathing was still ragged when he spoke. "He…Cedric…"

"It was just a bad dream," Sirius said gently, though he knew it wasn't true.

Harry's eyes were wild and glossy. "Uncle Vernon…he'll…"

Remus examined him carefully. Harry's cheeks were flushed and rosy, making the faded bruises on his face stand out more. His hair was damp with sweat and Remus knew his delirium was from the fever. It had probably heightened his nightmare as well.

"Don't worry," Remus said softly. "Your uncle isn't here. You're at Hogwarts. You're very ill right now and you need to sleep, Harry. Just close your eyes and relax."

Harry closed his eyes, but let out a moan. "It's too hot."

"You've got a fever," Remus said. He pulled his wand out and waved it over an empty basin on the bedside table, filling it with water. "Sirius, can you get a washcloth?"

Sirius nodded and hurried away, returning a few seconds later. He handed the washcloth to Remus, who dipped it into the water and rung it out.

"Here." He dabbed it on Harry's forehead and cheeks. "Is that better?"

"Mhmm," Harry hummed, slipping further into unconsciousness. Remus got the washcloth damp again and laid it across his forehead.

"Sir'us," Harry mumbled.

"I'm right here," Sirius said. Harry lifted his hand, reaching blindly for him. Sirius grabbed his hand gently with both of his own. His skin was hot to the touch.

"Promise…" Harry muttered sleepily. "You won't leave…"

"I promise, Harry." Sirius squeezed his hand gently. "I won't leave you."


	8. Chapter 8

Harry woke with a start. He could feel something damp over his eyes and he groaned. His skin was still hot. He lifted the washcloth from his face while he pushed himself up onto his elbows. He couldn't see well, but he recognized the familiar blurs of the hospital wing.

"That's not normal," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He tried to remember how he got there. Starting from when he ran away, Harry pieced together everything that made sense. He wasn't entirely sure how he got to Hogwarts, but he remembered talking to Remus and Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey giving him something to make him sleep. _That cheater. _

He reached over and felt for his glasses on the beside table. Once he had them, he slid them on his face and shifted his feet to the ground.

"Hello?" He called. No one responded. A sense of uneasiness crept into his stomach and he stood up. He needed to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

"Get a grip, Harry," he muttered to himself, shuffling his bare feet over the cold tile floor. Something banged loudly in the distance. Harry jumped and swiveled around, but didn't see anyone. His heart pounded frantically in his chest.

"What the-" he started.

"Harry?"

Harry turned again, his breath catching in his throat. Expecting to see his uncle, Harry braced himself for impact, raising his hands over his face.

"Relax, Harry," the person said gently, pushing his arms down. Harry felt relief when he recognized who it was.

"Professor Lupin," he said, letting out a breath. "Where is everyone?"

"Madam Pomfrey will be back in a few moments and Sirius is talking to Dumbledore," Remus said. "And please Harry, call me Remus."

Harry racked his memory for a minute, making a face. "Oh. Didn't we do this already?"

Remus laughed.

"Yes, we did. We also discussed you staying in bed. Come on, now." Remus moved to usher him back, but Harry stepped away from him.

"No." He realized he sounded a lot like a stubborn child, but he felt he had a right. He never had tantrums. Never threw fits. He never had a chance to act like a real child, and it was unfortunate that he was recalling these lost moments when he was a teen, but he would do what he had to to make a point.

"Harry, you're still sick. You need rest."

Harry shook his head and took a step back, wrapping his arms around himself. He closed his eyes. "I'm tired of being in bed. I'm tired of… I just…"

"You need to relax, Harry," Remus said calmly.

"And you need to- - you know- - not touch me," Harry said, instantly regretting the anger in his voice. Remus was still calm with his reply.

"No one's touching you, Harry."

"Oh." Harry opened his eyes, feeling stupid that he had forgotten it was his own arms that were touching him. He offered the most plausible reason that he could come up with. "I think I'm losing my mind, professor."

"You're not losing your mind," Remus said gently. "You're just sick. You should go lay down."

"No," Harry said again, shaking his head. "I… can you get Sirius?"

"I can," Remus said. "Will you promise to at least go sit down if I do? Madam Pomfrey will throw a fit if she sees you up and about."

Harry nodded and walked towards the bed closest to him, sitting down on the edge of it.

"I'll be right back." Remus gave him a smile before hurrying away.

Once his footsteps faded, Harry found himself within silence again. The sense of uneasiness returned, crawling through his veins. He ran his hands over his face and tried to distract himself by imaging what would happen if he was in one of those muggle movies where everyone dies. At this point, he felt like he was already in it, only he was the last one. Soon enough, the killer would strike. Harry at least felt accomplished that he hadn't been the person who always opened the door to the strange noises.

Hurried, panic footsteps brought him back to reality and suddenly a swirl of black robes were in front of him.

"Harry, what's wrong? Are you all right?" Sirius asked quickly, checking over him. Harry nodded meekly while Sirius rested a hand on his forehead, letting out a relieved sigh.

"How do you feel? You're still a little hot."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Harry said, pushing his hand away. "Personally I don't see it."

Sirius grinned. "A bit cheeky, are we? I suppose it's a good start to getting back to normal. Does anything hurt?"

Harry lifted his hands and shoved his palms into his eyes. "Does my dignity count?"

Sirius didn't laugh this time. He sat down on the bed next to Harry and touched his shoulder. "Harry, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Your uncle took advantage of you. It's never right for an adult to hit a child."

"I'm not a child," Harry mumbled. Sirius gently pulled his hands down from his face.

"Yes, you are," he chuckled before growing serious. "Harry, you do know he was out of line, right? You know your uncle had no right in laying a hand on you?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius, let's not discuss it now," Remus interjected softly. "Harry is still healing and doesn't need any stress yet."

Harry looked up at him and gave him a grateful nod. It wasn't that he wasn't _ready _to talk about it. He just didn't want to. He was embarrassed and ashamed that he had let his uncle take things so far, that he had run away like a little kid and that he had pulled his wand on someone.

"Am I expelled?" He wondered. Sirius and Remus exchanged a look.

"Why would you be expelled, Harry?"

"I…" Harry looked down. He didn't want to tell them if they didn't already know.

"What is it?" Sirius asked gently.

Harry sighed deeply and wrung his hands together. "I threatened my uncle."

"You're not in trouble," Remus said. "We know you pulled your wand on him, but you didn't do anything. You'd only be expelled if you had done magic, and even then, it was a life or death situation. Dumbledore wouldn't let you get kicked out of school for defending yourself."

"I think you've forgotten that the ministry doesn't like me much." Harry rubbed his eyes. He felt tired and achy.

"Mr. Potter!"

Harry jumped at the sound of his name. Sirius grabbed his arm gently and looked over his shoulder to see Madam Pomfrey approaching quickly. Remus got to his feet in one fluid motion and met her halfway, talking softly- - probably explaining the situation. Harry let out a breath and buried his face into his hands.

"Are you all right?" Sirius asked softly.

Harry spoke in a broken voice that was mumbled by his hands. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, Harry." Sirius slung an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder.

Harry wasn't sure why he felt so miserable all of a sudden. Remus and Madam Pomfrey were both now in front of him.

"Mr. Potter, I must insist you get back into bed," Madam Pomfrey said. "You've got another round of potions to take."

"Just give him a moment," Sirius snapped. Harry tensed under his touch.

"Don't be mad, Sirius," he whispered. Sirius rubbed his arm.

"I'm not mad," he said.

"Yes, you are," Harry protested, lifting his face from his hands. He sighed and looked at Madam Pomfrey. "Do your worst."

She bit back a smile and ushered him up. "Oh honestly, Mr. Potter. They aren't so bad."

"Have you ever actually had one, Poppy?" Sirius asked, following them over to where Harry had been lying before.

"Of course I have," she said impatiently. Harry climbed into bed, looking between the two of them.

"Then you know how disgusting and foul-"

"Sirius Black!" Madam Pomfrey turned on him, a potion in her hand. "Be quiet before I make this a dog free zone."

"Ouch," Remus laughed. "She's really releasing the hounds on you."

"Moony," Sirius moaned. Remus laughed again.

"Sirius, don't blame Remus," Harry joined in. "Or Madam Pomfrey will send you to the dog house."

"Oh Merlin, not you, too!" Sirius sat down on the edge of Harry's bed and buried his face into his hands. "You're all corrupting my godson."

"Puberty beat them to it, Sirius." Harry patted his shoulder and took the potion from Madam Pomfrey. He downed it and cringed, but didn't complain. Sirius watched him carefully. He was fed potion after potion until he started to get drowsy.

"Side effect," Madam Pomfrey muttered. "Sorry, Mr. Potter. You'll have to sleep."

Harry moaned. "No fair."

"You need rest anyway, Pronglet," Sirius said, gently sliding Harry's glasses off and setting them on the bedside table. He brushed some hair away from his godson's face. Harry closed his eyes.

"Will you be Padfoot?" He mumbled sleepily. Sirius smiled and transformed with a pop, the big black dog taking his place. He jumped on the bed and laid at Harry's feet.

"Remus?"

"Yes, Harry?" Remus asked.

"Will you stay?"

Remus sat down in the chair next to his bed. "As long as I can."

Harry nodded, his eyes still closed. He put a hand on Remus's arm, startling him. "Be safe tonight."

Remus looked at Harry for a moment, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He didn't know Harry was aware the full moon was that night, and he certainly didn't think Harry would remember it with everything that was going on.

"I will, Harry," he said gently. "I will."


	9. Chapter 9

"_You'll die." The voice echoed around him in the darkness, bouncing in his mind. "You'll die just like the rest of them."_

"_No," Harry said, shaking his head. He backed away, but the voice surrounded him._

"_You'll die like that boy," it said. "And your poor, pathetic parents."_

"_Stop," Harry begged. He brought his hands over his ears, trying to block the sound._

"_Then you'll die like your precious godfather and that werewolf." _

_Harry shook his head again. "They aren't dead."_

"_But they will be." He could hear the amusement in the voice. "They're going to die because of you. Everyone has died because of you. Trying to protect you, trying to save you, trying to love you…they've all died for you, Harry."_

"_Stop," Harry whispered, tears filling his eyes. _

"_I'm going to kill them," the voice hissed. "I'm going to kill them and then I'm going to kill you."_

_Pain erupted in his forehead, making Harry drop to his knees._

"No, no, no, no!"

"Mr. Potter, wake up." Bony fingers dug into his shoulder, shaking him. He gasped and opened his eyes, pulling away from the hand and sitting up.

"Are you all right?"

Harry tried to calm the pounding in his ears, reminding himself to take deep breaths. The pain was fading from his head, allowing him to think more calmly. He was at Hogwarts. He remembered that.

He reached over for his glasses and slipped them on.

"Harry?"

He looked up at the voice. Madam Pomfrey had softened her tone and she stood close to his bed, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I'm fine."

Madam Pomfrey looked skeptical and Harry knew why. He certainly didn't feel fine. "Would you like a dreamless sleep potion?"

Harry shook his head and looked around. It was dark outside, but the moon was casting a bluish glow on everything around him. Full moon. "Where's Sirius?"

"I believe he's out playing with Professor Lupin." Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes, setting down a vial of something on the bedside table. "Those two."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Playing?"

"Yes, as Padfoot. It's the only way he can be around Professor Lupin after he's changed."

"Oh." Harry looked out the window. "Right."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey said, straightening up. "If you're quite all right, then it's back to sleep with you."

Harry nodded and slid down in the bed, waiting until Madam Pomfrey disappeared out of site before sighing. It had been a long time since he had felt this young. His heart ached and for some reason, he wanted nothing more than his mom or dad to be there. Or maybe just _a_ mom or dad there. He wanted someone to tell him everything was all right and that things were going to be okay. Even though Harry knew it was a lie, he just wanted to hear it.

Harry felt the silence creep up around him. He wasn't tired anymore. He was restless. He didn't want to be lying down, he wanted to be up and moving. He needed something.

Making sure Madam Pomfrey was in her office, Harry slowly snuck out of bed and tiptoed across the cool tile floor. He wasn't scared of Madam Pomfrey catching him. He knew the only thing she would do is make him get back in bed. Everyone knew that threats of keeping him restrained to the bed were too much, so the worse Madam Pomfrey could do was give him something to make him sleep.

He quietly pulled open the doors and stepped out. He wasn't dumb enough to go outside, especially since Remus was out there, but he wanted to go somewhere. He decided the Gryffindor tower would be best.

But as he got further into the castle, the darker it got. He didn't have his wand with him and he realized now how stupid that was. Why would Hogwarts be lit during the summer? No one was here.

The darkness crept around him, making it hard to breath. He reached out to touch the wall, to touch anything. He could hear paintings whispering to each other and then there was a blinding flash of light. He covered his face quickly, shielding his eyes.

"Lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?" A familiar voice asked. Harry lowered his arm to find the light had become more tolerable. Professor Dumbledore stood on the other end of that light, his bright eyes twinkling.

"Professor, I-I…" Harry stumbled for words, trying to come up with an excuse. He desperately longed to change the subject, because he knew full well that he was terrible at lying, but there was no way out of it. "I was just…"

"I know what you were doing," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "But don't you think you'd be better equipped if you had your wand?"

Dumbledore reached into his robes with his free hand and drew out a long piece of wood. He handed it to Harry and gave him a smile.

"Happy traveling," he said, stepping aside and continuing down the corridor, his light slowly disappearing.

Harry raised an eyebrow and shook his head. That man was too cheerful for his own good. Nevertheless, he did appreciate having his wand. He mumbled an incantation quietly, watching as the tip of the wand lit up, and then he let out a breath of relief.

He continued on his journey, but was now acutely aware of the silence. He started to become uneasy. What was wrong with him? He was never this terrified being alone before.

"Mr. Potter."

Harry swiveled around at the cold voice, nearly jumping out of his skin.

"Lost our way, have we?"

Harry tried to calm himself, but as he stood in front of the familiar, greasy-haired man he had come to dislike, he found it hard. He wondered why Snape was here during the summer. Didn't he have a home? Perhaps a family? But no, Harry told himself, that couldn't be so.

"Cat got your tongue, Potter? Or have you just forgotten how to speak?"

This time Harry scowled. He forgot how much he truly despised Snape sometimes. "No, I haven't."

"Good," Snape said sourly. "How does Madam Pomfrey feel about you wandering around the corridors when you're ill?"

"I don't know," Harry answered dumbly. Snape puckered his lips.

"So you took the liberty of just leaving without asking?"

"Dumbledore knows I'm here," Harry said quickly. "He's fine with it."

"Is that so?" Snape asked slowly. "Well, we'll see about that."

He turned with a swish of his robes and stalked away. Harry glared after him for a moment before he headed up the steps to entrance of the tower.

The Fat Lady was awake in her frame and smiled at him when he got there.

"Hello, deary," she said. Harry frowned.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what the password is. We're not in school right now and I know I'm probably not supposed to be up here, but I was just-"

"Professor Dumbledore told me you were coming," she interrupted. "It's quite all right, dear. He gave me permission to let you in."

"Oh." Harry blinked. "Er…thank you."

The Fat Lady smiled and the portrait swung open, allowing Harry to step through.

Except for the window in the corner of the room that was allowing soft, blue light to flow in a few feet, everything was dark and quiet- - yet Harry felt the familiarity wash over him. Here, it was almost like he could pretend the summer hadn't happened. That his aunt and uncle didn't exist. That everything was fine.

He walked over to the fireplace and it burst into life, startling him. He let out a shaky laugh and plopped himself down on the couch. _Magic_, he reminded himself, laughing again.

He sunk back into the cushions and closed his eyes. He missed this place.

XxX

Sirius thanked the Fat Lady as she swung open her portrait, not missing the sour look on her face. She was a tough one to get to forgive him. Sirius knew she still was upset with him about what he had done to her painting during Harry's third year. But now Dumbledore had given him the password and she let him in with distaste.

It was light outside now, the sky a dreamy blue as the sun began to rise, still hidden somewhere behind the trees. Madam Pomfrey had only noticed Harry missing a few moments before Sirius had come in. After she sent out an alert, Dumbledore appeared to tell them they might find Harry in the Gryffindor tower. Sirius had gone to look, leaving Madam Pomfrey to take care of Remus.

He found that Dumbledore was right. The moment he stepped inside, he spotted a figure lying on the couch in front of the fireplace. The flames were burning low, allowing him just enough light to make that figure out to be his godson. He smiled and walked over to him.

Harry was on his side, one hand dangling down to the ground, fingertips grazing his dropped wand. His glasses sat askew on his face and his hair was a mess around him. Sirius reached over and gently pulled his glasses off his face. While he still could, he smoothed Harry's hair back. It was an action he had seen James do many times. Something so gentle that helped remind Sirius of the man he himself used to be. Azkaban had changed him; he knew that, but he was trying so hard to be himself again.

But Sirius lingered just a second too long in reality and suddenly Harry jumped, pushing himself into a sitting position. He instantly tried to shield himself and Sirius pulled his hand back quickly, concern coursing through him. He then remembered Harry couldn't see him.

"It's me, Harry," he said quickly. "It's me, Sirius. I'm not going to hurt you."

Slowly, Harry lowered his arms and tried to make out Sirius's form. Sirius offered him his glasses, pushing them gently into his hand. Harry took them and slid them on.

"I'm sorry for startling you," Sirius said. "I should have let you sleep."

"No, it's okay," Harry said softly, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Early. When did you come up here?"

"I'm not sure." Harry glanced around, looking a little lost. Sirius eyed him carefully.

"Are you all right?"

Harry nodded. "How's Remus?"

Sirius sat down next to him, ruffling his hair. "He's all right. Madam Pomfrey is taking care of him."

"Did you have fun?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at this, a smile playing on his lips. "I sure did, Pronglet."

"I…" Harry cut himself off, frowning. "I knew…"

"Knew what?" Sirius asked. He was watching Harry's face, wondering if Harry was still a bit delirious. Sirius noticed the pink in his cheeks, but hadn't felt for a temperature.

"I thought I was dreaming," Harry said. "But I knew I'd heard you say that name before."

Sirius nodded. "I said it when you were very ill."

"Where does it come from?"

"I called you that a lot when you were a baby." Sirius smiled. "Because your dad's nickname was Prongs. Lily thought it was the cutest thing. That or Prongs Jr."

Harry smiled, too, but more gently. "I like that."

"Good," Sirius said, grinning. He stood up and extended a hand out to him. "Now let's get back to the infirmary before Madam Pomfrey comes up here."

Harry groaned and grabbed Sirius's hand, pulling himself to his feet. He shook his head and dipped down to pick his wand up. "I don't want to. Can't I stay here?"

"Why do you want to stay here?" Sirius asked, looking around. "It's all dark and lonely."

Harry shrugged and looked down. "It's…"

"What is it?"

"It's comforting," Harry said quietly. "I can't stand lying in that hospital bed. It's so stiff and it just…makes me feel trapped."

Sirius chewed on his bottom lip for a second, looking thoughtful. He gave Harry a look and smiled.

"I think I have an idea," he said. "Come with me."


End file.
